This invention relates to ostomy devices and, more particularly, to an ostomy pouch having a selfcontained irrigator for cleansing the pouch after use.
Ostomy surgical procedures, such as colostomies, ileostomies, and urostomies, create an exit for feces from the colon in formed, semiformed, or semiliquid effluents or an exit for urine which is diverted before it reaches the bladder. Drainage from the stoma is collected in a bag or pouch which is attached to the body by a suitable adhesive and/or a mounting belt worn by the patient. The stoma protrudes into an opening in the bag and intermittently discharges waste with little or no control by the individual. The bag or pouch may be disposable with its contents, but a more accepted arrangement is a reusable bag having a discharge opening so that the bag may be flushed with an irrigating liquid such as water to cleanse the interior of the bag at suitable intervals.
The conventional way to empty and flush ostomy pouches is to remove the pouch from its applied position relative to the stoma, release the fastening device from the drainage neck of the pouch, and flush the contents and clean the bag by inserting the tip of an irrigating tube through the stoma opening provided in the side wall of the bag. This operation is not only messy, but does not always result in the thorough cleaning of the interior of the bag below the stoma opening. Moreover, since conventional pouches must be removed from the body for cleaning, the skin surrounding the stoma opening may become irritated by frequent removal and reapplication of an adhesively mounted pouch.